


I’m at your service m’lady

by Sloth_Onda



Category: EVERGLOW (Band)
Genre: Child Labor, F/F, Handmaiden - Freeform, Joseon Dynasty, Slavery, gxg, in the past, inspired by the film The Handmaiden, kpop, poor serim, rich eunji, slight homophobia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-10-05
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:40:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,267
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23287183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sloth_Onda/pseuds/Sloth_Onda
Summary: Jo Serim never thought she would have the honor to meet the higher class, especially not the emperor himself, but here she was getting sold to his daughter just so she could save her loved ones.
Relationships: Han Eunji | Mia/ Jo Serim | Onda
Comments: 2
Kudos: 13





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to write another story about these two after watching the Handmaiden again. (Great movie btw 10/10)  
> And yeah...that’s basically it

It was a bad day, the sound if raindrops hitting the roof and windows could be heard as a slightly older woman was sitting in a chair, a big bump noticeable on her stomach. She was smiling slightly while caressing it with her delicate hands. If you looked at her face, you could easily assume she was from the upper class, big eyes with double eyelids, petite nose and small lips in a cherry blossom shade of color. But her overall appearance told otherwise. The worn out hanbok that was dirty and torn on few places showed that she had it for a long time, almost too small for her, barely reaching her ankles. The porcelain skin was tainted with mud and dirt, making her look like a beggar. The door opened for a bit and the sound of a storm was heard for a few seconds, before falling sikent as the door shut close. A tall man appeared in the small room, wet and muddy, the color of his clothes almost unrecognizable under the layers of old dirt. His face however wasn’t showing any signs of displeasure, his eyes forming moon-like crescents, his teeth blindingly while as he smiled from ear to ear. 

“How are you jagi?” 

“I’m feeling a little bit nervous, the baby is due in less than a month and I can feel it kicking more and more each day. I’m just worried abot our child.” 

“Don’t worry too much, I’m sure everything will be alright. I can’t wait to see if it’s going to be a girl or a boy!”

“Me too, I hope it will be a girl, we can talk together and cook together, I will show her how to sew...ah I can feel it’s going to be a girl!”

“What are you talking about? Of course it’s going to be a boy, I felt how strong the baby kicked! I will teach him everything he’ll need to know and we will have taekwondo fighst together and he will protect all the girls in our village!”

The woman laughed at her husband’s antics. They were a happy couple, they didn’t need money to live a comfortable life. Yes, sometimes it got a little tough, but their baby always made them feel motivated to make everything for it. 

-One and a half month later-

The baby was supposed to arrive last week, but so far, nothing happened. Just as the parents were getting worried, the wife felt something in her stomach, and a few moments later, her water broke. The husband quickly placed his wife on a bed before running outside to find a halmoni that could help him. As soon as he found her and told her everything, both got to their house as quick as possible, the rest of the small village gathering around the house. It was always a big deal when someone was being born. 

After a while, a child’s cries could be heard throughout the house. A little bundle was handed to the mother, the child no longer crying, resting against its mothers body. 

“Is it a girl or a boy?” 

The mother asked, holding her child close to her, looking at the big doe eyes that stared back at her. 

“It’s a healthy little girl.”

The halmoni announced, both parents crying happily, although the father tried to look tough, explaining his tears as just something in his eye. 

“How are we going to name her?”

“Serim, our little Jo Serim.”


	2. 하나

Fifteen summers have passed since the eventful day. Jo Serim grew up to be quite something. If her mother thought that she would spend time by sewing clothes with her daughter while talking about boys she likes, she obviously didn't expect this outcome. Right now, her precious daughter was somewhere outside, and definetly not picking up flowers and making them to a crow with other girls. 

No, her daughter was on her way from the village about two hours from the one they lived in. She had dirty pants on with her fathers kimono shirt stained with her last meal, her pockets filled with money and expensive accessories that would made up for a few thousand won. In one hand she held a sweat lolipop she stole from the vendor on the outskirts of the quite big village, that could be almost considerd a small town. The other hand was holding onto a small knife she took from her fathers workshop, which she used for cutting of the leather straps of small money bags people usually carried around when they went to the market. She was breathing heavily, looking behind her back for a moment, before turning back and walking back to her village, sure that the shop keeper stopped chasing her, he was rather an old man after all, he had no chance catching the young girl that had great physique due to always running from the ones who noticed she stole something from them. 

She popped the lolipop back to her mouth, skipping slightly and tossing the knife up and down in her hands, before closing it and placeing it back in her back pocket. After a few moments she stopped in her tracks, looking around if anyone was near, when she saw no one, she walked away from the muddy road, heading to the forest. Once she saw the big oak tree that had a S carved on the trunk, she turned to the right and took ten steps, after that she kneeled down, and started digging the ground, not caring that she was getting dirt all over herself. Her fingertips stopped on a wooden surface, smiling a bit she took the small box from the ground, opening it carefully. She emptied her left pocket, that was filled mostly with money and placed everything inside. 

"I should get a bigger box, this one is almost full."

The girl muttered before placing the box back and filling the hole up with dirt, making sure to make it seem like nobody digged here. Once everything was done, she went back to the road. The sky was getting darker and she decided to run home, so her parents won't worry about her. It was yet another successful day for her, she even managed to steal golden watch from one of the higher class men. She smiled thinking about her fathers face, once he sees his birthday gift. 

\-----

"i'm home!" 

The black haired teen yelled as she opened the door of their small home, quickly going to her mothers side, smilind at her, the corners of her mouth curling upwards, showing off her adorable smile that made her mother smile as well. 

"Guess what? I managed to get you something while I was out."

The young girl reached for her back pocket to give her mother the gift she prepared, but to her horror, she couldn't find anything exept a stick from the lolipop she stole earlier. 

"Oh no, I think I dropped it somewhere when I was running back."

She quickly took all the stuff from her pockets, placing it in her mothers hands.

"I got all of this today, use it for whatever you want, while your going to figure it out, I'm going to find it alright?"

"But it's already late Serimmie, why don't you go look for it in the morning?"

Her mother replied, but her daughter was alredy in the door, running back to the trail she took back to her home, hoping to find it as quick as possible, her mother always loved butterflies, and she managed to steal a brooch in the shape of one at the market. It was supposed to be in her back pocket away from everything else so she wouldn't lose it, but it had to fall from there when she was running. The sun was quickly setting, an the chance she would find the brooche in the dark were slim. The more time passed, the harder it became for Serim to see. Even when she was a fast runner, maybe even the fastes in her village, she couldn't possibly reach the end of the road in few minutes. Suddenly, a small spark of light caught her attention. She turned around...yes it was there again. The girl walked to the place she saw it and after a few moments of searching for what she was looking for, she found the butterfly like brooch, making her squeal in happiness. 

As she was nearing her village, she was admiring the sunset that colored her body and surroundings in a deep orange, almost red color. The more she looked at it, the more it looked like a fire, oranges and deep reds were mixing with light yellows, painting a scene from a novel. The girl twirled around, looking at he beautiful nature that surrounded her. Oh look! Another sunset!....wait what. The teen looked closer to the 'second' sunset, noticing the round sun in the middle of everything. Confuse, she turned around once more, looking at the 'other' sunset that was in the direction of her home. After a while she noticed the fire like flames that appeared every now and then, the grey smoke surrounding everything. 

Her vilage was on fire. Serim broke out in a sprint, clutching the butterfly brooch in her hand. Her legs burned and she barely got oxigen in her lungs, but that all seemed like nothing as she ran as fast towards her home, not caring if she felt like passing out. As soon as she arrived she looked around, peopl were running around, trying to save as much people as they could, dragging relatives from their homes that were engulfed in the fire. 

"Mom."

She whispered in realization Serim's mother injured her legs when she was only a child. Serim had to save her. Running to their house, she saw the burned parts of her home colapsing, everything in the shade of black, as the smoke surrounded her from every direction. One of the beams fell in-front of the door, blocking her way. Serim however didn't care at all, the only thing on her mind was her mother, and how she had to save her. She ran to the door, jumping over the burning beam, kicking open the door, releasing tun of smoke in her face, making her cough violently. The room was filled with burning furniture, the smoke so thick she wasn't able to see almost anything. 

"Mom! Mom where are you!"

Her voice was muffled by the smoke, a lot of it getting in her nose and mouth. She was struggling breathing, her time was running out and she wasn't doing anything. Stepping over the burning parts, she tried to make her way to where she knew her mother always sat in her chair, sewing together her clothes, as she almost always came back home with a whole new hole. The chair was knocked over, a burning cloth on top of it, and Serim could recongnise one of her dads kimonos that was passed down on her when she was tall enough, just last week she ripped one of the sleeves, tearing it off almost completely. Her mothers work was ruined...but she couldn't think about that now, not when hers and her mothers lives were at risk. 

"Mom!"

Serim tried to call her mother once more, but yet again, no one responded. Staying in the room was getting harder and harder. Serim could't see a thing, exept for a few shapes of furniture and a piece of her mothers hanbok...her mothers hanbok! Yes there it was, laying on the ground near her. The girl quickly jumped over the chair, making her way towards the place she hoped to find her mother. Just a few meters from the piece of hanbok was laying her mother. A burning cabinet trapping her legs under itself. Serim ran towards her, kneeling beside. She tried to push the cabinet away, but the fire was making it dificult. Her hands were burned on a few places from the fire catching her palms whenever she tried to touch the wooden cabinet. Biting her tounge, she swallowed a cry of pain and grabed the cabinet, pushing it off of her mother, quickly letting it go, grabbing her mom and standing up. The smoke was gathering around the cealing, making her feel suffocated. She jumped over the pieces of furniture in her way, trying to be as fast as possible even with her mother in hands. The door was blocked with the same beam, but now two other ones were in the same place, making it almost impossible to get out of the house by there. Serim tried to think of another place where she could get outside. The one window they had was broken, a beam poking threw it, so she couldn't leave the house there as well. Her only chance was the back door, that her father used, when he had to go to his workshop. She ran to the door, only to find it locked. Serim ran at it in full speed, trying to brak it down with her back, the material cracking slightly, giving her a surdge of hope. She slammed in the door again and again, smiling when she felt the door crack a bit more. Finally the door flung open. Serim ran outside, laying her mother on the ground and placing her ear on her chest.

"Come on, come on..."

Nothing.

"Help! Anyone help me! Please! Anyone! My mom...she's...she's..."

\-----

The fire was over. 

Her father didn't come the next morning. Serim was desperately trying to find him, asking anyone if they saw him. Nobody knew where he was last night. Until a old lady told her she saw him running in a house that still had people in it. He just came back from the fields when he saw what was happening. The old lady told him she still had her grandchildren inside, and he ran in there, trying to save them. He never came back. 

Serim couldn't even give him his birthday present, the golden clock still in her pocket, waiting to be given to her father. 

She got up, thanking the lady for information, and headed in the house. Stepping over the burnt wooden chairs and cupboards. Kid toys laying on the floor, burnt to crisp, legs and arms missing. Everything was a reminder for her of what happened. The kids room had black walls, charcoal everywhere she looked. The figure of a burnt man laying on the floor, grasping a small child, one of his hands outstretched, as if he was trying to reach something. Serim reached to her pocket, placing the shiny golden pocket watch in his hand. The gold color soiled by the charcoal of his fingers. 

"Happy Birthday dad...I love you."


	3. 둘

"Hey! Stop her, she's a thief!"

The old man yelled in hopes of someone stopping the teenage girl that was runnng away with his money. The girl only smirked slightly jumping on a box, putting the small money bag in her teeth, grabing the rope hanging from the roof. She quickly made her way up on a small balcony from where she climbed to the roof, knowing where she had to put her hands and legs from doing this almost every day when she stole from someone. She walked on the roof relaxed, knowing that the man couldn't catch her. She tossed the bag up and down in her hands smiling to herself when she inspected the inside sitting in the shade of the roof. 

"That's at least ten meals right here."

The girl placed the money in her pocket, tossing the back down from the roof. She kept climbing the houses for a while, until she was on the end of the town. A small cottage in a horrible condition was in her sight. The view of the small kids playing in-front of it making her smile. She jumped down from the last house, making her way towards it. 

"Unnie!"

A small boy ran to her, hugging her leg while a little girl did the same.

"Hey there Hyun-jin, hello Eunbi. How are you guys doing? Where is Shiyeon?" 

"Unnie is inside, she's making us food."

Serim smiled at that, her best friend cared so much about the kids. She met Shiyeon about a year after both of her parents died in the fire. She was taking care of her two siblings alone and Serim helped her. Now they were inseparable. 

"Shiyeon unnie, I'm back!"

She yelled, receving a yell back as a response. She went to the small room that worked as a kitchen, dining room and their bedroom. The kids had their own room that was also their bathroom and playroom. It wasn't much but hey, it worked. The two teenagers were trying their hardest to make a good childhood for the two rays of sunshine. Serim was only seventeen years old. Yes, Shiyeon was older but only by a year making her eighteen, although her birthday was in two days. Shiyeon was in charge of cooking, cleaning and taking care of the kids, Serim provided the money for them and played with the kids, teaching them how to write and count. Unfortunately Shiyeon never went to school, too busy taking care of the kids. Serim wasn't much better, she stopped going to school when she was thirteen since she had to help her parents, but she knew the basics.

Shiyeon and Serim were stressed out these days quite a lot, the saved money Serim brought with her ran out last week, making her take bigged risks stealing, resaulting in almost getting caught several times. Shiyeon was worried that they would send Serim to jail. She wouldn't be able to hande it without Serim. She saved them when they were almost dying, not having eaten properly in several weeks. Shiyeon also made a small amount of money from selling her paintings on the market, but she wouldn't be able to earn enough money for the kids and her, Serim was the only reason they lived so far and she could see how seriously Serim took her position as the 'father' in their family despite her young age. 

"What are you thinking about unnie?"

"Just...I'm afraid that something will happen to you,you keep taking bigger and bigger risks because the kids are getting older and need more food and clothes. I understand that you want to take care of them, but what will happen when you get caught? I can't make it withou you and you know that."

"Donvt worry unnie, I met this guy today and he needs someon to help him on his farm, the pay is quite good, and if I keep stealing we can live a bit better."

"I just don't want you to get hurt."

Shiyeon mumbled, hugging the younger tightly. 

"I know unnie, I know."

\-------

"Serim, can you take these bags to the shop?"

"Yes sir."

Serim stopped cleaning the room that was filled with left over rice. She grabbed the four bags full of white rice, placing them on her back. It was about a month since she started working for the man, his name was Kyungsoo and he owned a big farm outside the town. She carried things from the farm to the shop and back, cleaned everything, helped on the farm when it was harvesting season and took care of the animals on the farm. It was hard and she felt extremly tired every day, but the face of the kids when she brought back home sweets and toys was priceless. She still stole a bit here and there when she had the opportunity, she just couldn't get rid of the habit. Shiyeon was more relaxed these days, they didn't have a lot but enough. They still starved sometimes, but it wasn't as frequent as before. The girl stopped walking and placed the bags of rice on the table behind the shop like she usually did. A tall guy with broad shoulders came out of the back door, picking up one bag.

"Hey Serim, how's it going?"

"Hey Lee, not to great Eunbi is sick and the medicin is quite expensive, but I think we can afford it once I get my salary tommorow. Shiyeon is stressing a bit, you know how she is when it comes to the kids." 

"Oh, well I hope that she's going to get better soon, I would love to help you, but you know...I can't."

Lee's mom is quite rich, but she hates poor people, something about them being the scum on earth. Lee is a great guy. Serim met him on her first day she started working here, he was rfeally nice to her, and thei formed a close friendship over the time she's been working here. Lee is also the only person that knows that Serim steals and lives with Shiyeon and the kids. He sometimes helps them when they don't have enough food and both her and Shiyeon really appreciate it.

"Well, I have to go back, see you later."

"See you."

Serim returns to the farm, continuing her work like always. She sorked on one of the many rice fields Kyungsoo owned. The cold water felt good on her bare feet. Her shoes ripped last week making her walk with bare feet everywhere. The day was slowly ending, Serim walking home, exited to see the kids. She had a new toy for them. A young boy threw it away after the ear of the bunny fell, his mother buying him a new one shortly after. Serim picked it up and repared it easily, the toy looking almost new. Eunbi liked bunnies a lot so she was sure that it would lift her spirit once she would see it. Serim smiled at the thought of a smiling Eunbi. The young gitl had adorable diples and a wide smile that could lit up the whole room. Shiyeon sometimes joked she had it after her, since Serim possesed one of the brightest smiles in the world, at least for the two kids. 

"I'm home!"

Serim yelled, announcing her arrival (of Everglow). The sound of light footsteps reached her ears as Hyun-jin jumped to her arms. She caught him and spined around a few times, before putting him back on the floor. She reached behind her back, showing him the bunny toy.

"Look what I have, can you give it to Eunbi for me?"

"Yes unnie! Eunbi is going to be so happy."

Hyun-jin was a great older brother for Eunbi. Everyone could see that he deeply cared for her. He cheered her up when she was sad and always helped and protected her. Both of them were inseparable, always playing with each other. His little feet carried him towards the bed that belonged to Eunbi, raising the toy with his hands so Eunbi could see it.

"Look what unnie got you! It's a bunny!"

He smiled exitedly, Euńbi returning his smile, almost twice as big. Grabbing the toy and sitting up on her bed.

"Woah! Thank you unnie!"

Serim only smiled, sitting beside Shiyeon that was looking at her siblings with love.

"How is she?"

"She's getting a bit better, she doesn't cough as much like before, but I'm still worried."

"Don't worry unnie, I'm getting my sallary tommorow and I'm sure we can by the medicine by then."

Shiyeon nodded slightly sighing. Serim knew that she always had a soft spot for Eunbi since she was born a bit smaller and weaker than the rest of the kids. Serim looked at the two kids playing with the toy bunny. She promised herself that she would alway protect them and do everything for them no matter how hard it was and she wasn't planning on giving that promise up anytime soon.


	4. 셋

The morning was peaceful. Birds were chirping outside the opened window, small sounds of nature reaching the ears of two small children sleeping in the small duvet, cuddling closer to each other. The door of the room opened slowly and a young girl walked in. She made sure not to make any loud sounds that could wake the two up. She leaned closer, kissing both on their forehead whispering good morning to both. The girl left shortly after, leaving the small house, heading her way to the farm.

Today she was getting paid and she wanted to be there early so she could buy the medicine as fast as she could. A lot of kids were sick around this time every year, which made getting the right medication slightly harder. She could always go to the bigger city and try to steal some since it was a lot more expensive than in their small village, but she was trying to not steal anymore, the odds of getting caught were getting bigger and bigger every day, the sellers recognizing her face more often. The risk just wasn’t worth it anymore. Her job made her enough money to take care of the kids and Shiyeon. Plus Shiyeon could paint a bit more nowadays so she could sell her paintings to he neighbors and other people in their village.

Serim was imagining the face Shiyeon will have once she brings the medicine back home. She could see how worried the other girl was since Eunbi seemed to be more sick than usually, her symptoms being a lot more visible. 

“Good morning!” 

Serim said once she entered the farm, the few workers already there greeting her as she joined them in working. Everyone was talking about what their going to buy once they get paid. 

“What about you Serim?” 

Said girl lifted her head. 

“Me? I’m going to buy some medicine.”

“Medicine? You don’t look sick, is Eunbi having problems again?”

The older man said, his name was Hee-jun and always helped out Serim when she needed it. He was living on the other side of the village. Both Serim and Shiyeon knew him since he regularly bought Shiyeon’s paintings, never forgetting to compliment her skills and giving the two kids something sweet.

“Yeah, it looks a lot worse this year and Shiyeon is really worried, I just hope it will help her, you know how weak Eunbi is.”

“Shiyeon acts more like a mother than my wife, she sure cares about those little grasshoppers eh?”

“She does, I just hope the money will be enough, the medicine keeps getting more expensive, as if we don’t have enough worries right now.”

“You know what Seeim? You act older than me and I’m almost fifty years old. Act more like an eighteen year old will ya.” 

Serim only laughed and continued to weed the rice, the cold water reaching her knees, soothing the small scratches she had on her shins. 

The day went by quickly and she was done with all her duties by noon. The money was already in her pocket as she was walking towards the small shop that sold herbs and medicine. It was tucked in between two buildings in a small alley at the center of the village. The last time she was there it cost around 12 000 won and she was quite sure it was more expensive now. The amount of medicine was not enough so she was planning to buy around three of them. 

“Hello.”

Serim greeted the shopkeeper and went to the right side knowing that that was where it was. 

“15 000 won?” 

The girl mumbled, she could only buy two of them now. Serim was worried that it was not going to be enough for Eunbi to get better but had no other choice, she couldn’t spend more money since she had to live off something. She sighed and grabbed two portions of the shelf, placing them on the counter, paying for them and walking home. 

———

“I’m home!”

Serim yelled as soon as she entered the house, closing the door behind her and walking towards Shiyeon who was working on one of her paintings. Serim could recognize the scenery, as it was a place she used to take the kids to play when they were younger. 

“I have the medicine, but only two. Can you believe it, 15 000 won for one! Only one! Tsk.”

“You sound like an old man Serim.”

“Yah! I do not!”

Shiyeon laughed and turned around. 

“You do, get used to it.” 

Serim was about to protest again, but Shiyeon gave her a pointed look so she shut her mouth. She didn’t want to admit it but angry Shiyeon was scary. Instead she walked to the kids room. Eunbi was sitting up and playing with Hyun-jin. 

“Unnie! Come play with us!” 

Hyun-jin yelled as soon as she entered the room, Eunbi nodding along quickly. Serim laughed and sat down beside them.

“Alright guys, I’m going ti play with you, but first, Eunbi has ti take her medicine.”

“But it tastes bad!”

Eunbi protested from her spot, her face showing to displeasure when she remembered how horrible it was. 

“I know Eunbi, but you have to take it so you can be strong and play outside with Hyun-jin again.”

Eunbi frowned, but still took it. With a frown on her face, but still.

“See, it wasn’t even that bad.”

The rest of the day Serim spent playing with the two kids, making her completely exhausted when she fell to her duvet. 

“Those two grasshoppers sure have lot of energy!”

She exclaimed, yawning and stretching her body. Shiyeon only laughed at her.

“Yeah, I just hope that Eunbi is going to get better. It gets worse every year and I’m worried it’s only going to go downhill from here.”

“It’s going to be fine Shiyeon, I have a stable job, your paintings are getting more popular. Hyun-jin is getting stronger and I’m sure that Eunbi is going to get better. Everything will be fine!”

“Yeah, you’re right, I don’t know why I’m stressing so much.”

Both of the girl went to sleep, hoping that everything is going to just get better, but oh boy, there was a big storm coming...


	5. 넷

Serim was stressed. The day started by a old rusty nail sticking out of a wall tearing her only pair of pants, making a big hole appear on the side of her calf, the cold wind making its way right to her skin. As if it wasn’t enough, Kyungsoo fired half of the people on the farm, her being one of them. This season wasn’t very good, and he had to pay a lot of people only to get a smaller amount of money back. The walk back to her house was quite depressing. What would Shiyeon do when she would tell her that their biggest part of income was no longer available and she had to go back to stealing again once their savings disappear. 

“Agh!”

Serim let out a frustrated huff, kicking a rock on the ground, managing to hit a young boy playing on the side of the road. After a quick apology and calming him with her last lollipop that was saved for Eunbi, she continued the walk of shame back home. The leaves were getting more orange each day, signaling the autumn that was getting closer. This was the biggest concern she had. The weather was getting colder and colder. She was worried that they won’t have enough money and food to survive the winter. Serim was mostly scared about the kids, she could endure cold and hunger since she was used to it, but the kids were more fragile and got sick easily, especially Eunbi. She let out a groan. How the hell they were supposed to survive the winter if she lost her job? Serim almost didn’t want to return home. How could she come back with such news when she told Shiyeon everything was going to be ok just a week ago? 

———

“I’m back.”

The door closed behind her, she could see the empty space on the side of the door that let the cold inside. Seeing the poor state of their home made her want to cry. 

“Serim? Why are you home so early?”

She heard Shiyeon from the other room, she was probably taking care of Eunbi. The little girls condition was getting worse every day. It started happening four days ago just when it looked like she was no longer sick. Serim woke up in the middle of the night to Eunbi tugging on her hand crying in pain. The small girl was weaker and weaker. Serim was worried that she wasn’t going to make it through the winter. 

“Can you come here Shiyeon? I have to talk to you about something important.”

“Uh, yeah sure.”

The older stood up and followed Serim outside.

“What’s up?”

“I...I got fired...”

“What?!”

“Kyungsoo fired half of the staff today, since I was one of the many that worked on harvesting I was one of them. The season wasn’t good and he was loosing money really fast, I don’t really blame him, I would do the same if I was in his position...”

“But how are we going to make it through winter? Eunbi needs more medicine than ever end our savings are getting shorter each day.”

“I know Shiyeon unnie...I will think of something, just get me a day.”

“Alright...”

Both girls returned inside. Worry evident on their faces. It quickly disappeared and was replaced by a smile when they saw Hyun-jin peaking his head from the door.

“Serim unnie? Why are you home?”

“Mister Kyungsoo gave me a small break so I could see you two grasshoppers.”

Hyun-jin smiled widely and grabbed her hand.

“Eunbi! Serim unnie is home! We can play with her all day!”

Serim only chuckled seeing his happy face. 

“Eunbi needs to rest Hyun-jin, she is sick remember?” 

Hyun-jin smile deflated, but came back in matter of seconds when her realized that he had Serim all to himself. 

“I’m going out, be good and don’t tire out Serim too much!”

Shiyeon yelled from the door, before closing them and leaving the two to play with each other. Hyun-jin was already dragging Serim somewhere, she knew that this day was going to be even more tiring than if she had to go to work. 

———

Hyun-jin was sleeping in her lap, her own head clinging slightly, her eyes closing slowly. The house was quiet, Hyun-jin’s light snores filling her ears lulling her to sleep. Sound of fire flickering in the small fireplace being a background of her soft and quiet singing. Tones of her favorite lullaby leaving her lips almost unintentionally making her remember the times she listened to the same melody whenever she couldn’t sleep and her mother sat beside her and helped her fall asleep. The quiet atmosphere was suddenly cut off by the sound of the front door slamming shut. Serim almost jumped up, the loud noise making her completely awake. She looked at Hyun-jin who was still asleep. She picked him up and placed him on his duvet, covering him with his blanket before going to the other room to see why Shiyeon slammed the door. She found her on the floor breathing heavily, even in the dim light she could see her hands trembling, one of them holding a bottle of medicine that Serim knew well. 

“Where did you get it Shiyeon? I thought we didn’t have enough money for it?”

Serim said, pointing to her hand that was cluthing the small bottle as if letting it go meant death. 

“I...I messed up Serim, I messed up so bad.”

The older girl muttered under her breath, panic evident in her voice as it trembled. Her wide eyes reflecting the small flames of the fireplace. 

“What do you mean Shiyeon? What happened?”

“I don’t know why I did it, I don’t know why I did it at all, why it even crossed my mind once. I’m nowhere near as good as you, of course that It would happen, how could I think it would work out. I stole it Serim, I stole it.”

“What did you steal? What are you saying?”

“I stole the medicine Serim, I just...Eunbi is getting more sick and you just lost the job and winter is coming and...and...God, what was I thinking? They saw me Serim, they saw me. They’re going to come here and take me away.”

Serim was at loss of her words. Her heart was beating hundred miles in minute. If Shiyeon is going to be taken away the kids won’t make it. Eunbi and Hyun-jin loved their sister so much, they wouldn’t be able to live without her. Both Serim and Shiyeon knew this. Serim knew well how it felt to lose some dear to heart, the pain of realizing you will never see them again was something she never wished to anyone, even the most cruelest of them all. 

“I-It will be fine Shiyeon....I will...I will say it was me, all the shopkeepers know me, they know I steal they will believe it and leave you alone.”

“N-no Serim, they will kill you! I only stole once, but you-you are much worse!”

“It will be fine Shiyeon, just tell the kids that I went somewhere or something, I don’t know how or when but I will come back, trust me.”

“Serim...”

The girl could only smile before the sound of a knock interrupted them. 

“Open the door! This is the police!”

(Please note that this is happening in the 1800-1900 of Joseon dynasty so police already exists.)


	6. 다섯

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I was gone for such a long time....
> 
> My higschool acceptance exams are getting closer and It's quite stressful if you ask me.
> 
> I'm really jealous that Americans don't have to do it :((((

Shiyeon was staring at the back of the small black car that was leaving her view. Her eyes locked on the small smile Serim had on her face, looking back at her. The girl inside the car had her hands tied up with old grey rope, signaling that it was probably a small regional police car, since they didn't have the proper handcuffs that most police officers always carried with them. 

Regional or not, she was still getting arrested for theft and it was all Shiyeons fault. She couldn't imagine what would happen once they find out that Serim is known for stealing in several towns and market places. If Shiyeon was the one being arrested she would probably stay in prison for a few months or had to pay a big amount of money, since she never stole anything before and the medicine wasnt't that expensive. But Serim was a different story. Shiyeon knew that Serim was stealing even before they met an she could only imagine how much she actually stole. 

“Where is Serim unnie going?"

Shiyeon looked down to her right leg. Hyun-jin was staring at her with confusion in his eyes, his small hands holding tightly on her dirty skirt, that barely resembled a commoners hanbok. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that they might never see Serim again. Shiyeon kneeled in-front of him ruffling his hair slightly before speaking.

“Serimmie is going on a long and dangerous journey."

The little boy frowned, why would Serim unnie suddenly leave them for something dangerous ?

“Why? She could get hurt! And who will play with me and Eunbi?"

Shiyeon smiled.

“You see, when you really love someone, you do everything you can to keep them safe. Serim just wants the best for us so she decided to protect us by leaving. She will be away for a long, long time, but I know she will never forget us okay?"

“But what does she have to protect us from, we are safe aren’t we?"

Shiyeon sighed and hugged Hyun-jin closer to her body. Mumbling in his hair.

“From the unfairness of the world, nobody is safe from that."

———

The road was crooked. Every few seconds the car would jump up slightly due to a rock or a bump on the road, making Serim hit herself on the sides of the car. Her hands were tied up behind her back, making her unable to hold herself down. The police officers weren’t paying attention to her and she was quite sure they would forget about her if it weren’t from a occasional sneeze from her. It just it so happened that the two guys were eating peaches, something she was allergic too. It was almost as if whoever was up there was giving her a one big F you. 

Serim sighed as she looked out of the window, wondering what was Shiyeon doing. How will she survive the winter alone? They were struggling a lot even when she was with them. Serim hoped that they were going to be fine without her help. 

“Hey, we’re here."

Serim looked up to the police officer, he had a small beard and looked a bit like Mr. Shim, a old grandpa that all the parents took their kids to when they wanted to know what would their child achive in the future. It was probably good that Serim’s parents didn’t take her to him as they would find out that the only acomplishment she would achive was going to be being arrested for theft. 

The police station was small, only a few officers were inside and the chairs and tables looked quite pitful. The guy pushed her towards the most normal looking table it the middle of the room. She sat down in-front of what had to be the head police officer at this station. 

“What do we have here.......Jo Serim.......nineteen years old.....theft?" 

The man looked up from his papers to Serim. Watching her for a bit before turning to a man that was standing next to her. He gestured for him to come closer and quickly whispered something to his ear. The other guy smirked and left the room. The head officer leaning closer to her and placing the papers beside him.

“Alright, Jo Serim, I see here that you got caught stealing medicine, but it wasn’t your first time as we later found out. Do you know that you are quite known in several towns? As you probably know, this could get you quite some years in the cell and I’m sure you really don’t want that."

The man paused before leaning back on his chair, the smirk on his face never dissapearing. 

“I have a proposition for you. I will destroy everything saying that you were arrested for stealing and all the complaints about you, but you have to do a little favor for us."

Serim looked at him with wide eyes.

“What? Why would you do that?"

The man smirked once again, taking a small stack of papers from the man that just returned, sliding them across the table for Serim to see. She started to read what was written on it, her eyebrows furrowing more and more with each sentece. Seeing her confusion, he spoke up once again.

“The monarch is looking for a new maid that would be suitable for all hardwork and labor, and I need someone inside the palace that would give me informations about a certain thing. He plans to pay quite a lot, definitely more than we would get for arresting you. You are the perfect age and seeing you got away with so many things you must be quite clever and agile. I’m sure it would be a lot better for you to work fort the rozal family then being locked in prison, plus you get a monthly salary so you wouldn’t have to wory about being low on money. So...what do you say? Can I get rid of these papers and both of us win something?"

Serim wasn’t stupid, she knew that this was the best option she would get, however if she would get caught trying to gather information to give it to someone outside the royal family, it would be way worse than being locked up in prison. But she would be able to help and support Shiyeon, Eunbi and Hyun-jin, and she was used to working hard. She was a thief after all, she won’t get caught. A sigh left her mouth, she looked at the man in-front of her contemplaining about what she should do. After a few silent moments she gave in.

“Alright, I will do it."

“Great, it is a pleasure working with you, my name is Yi-jong and I lead a revolt against the monarch."

Yi-jong extended his arm but relized that Serim had both her hands tied behind her back. He signaled to one of the guys inside, making Serim’s hands free again. He them stood up and gestured for Serim to follow him. Yi-jong led her to a small side room and handed her a plain blue hanbok with a white overskirt and lining. 

“Wear this and then meet me in-front of the building, we need to go to the palace quickly before someone else takes the spot. I will tell you about the details inside the car."

With that he left, closing the door behind him, leaving Serim alone. The hanbok reminded her of a similar one her mother used to wear when she went to work. The design was the same, but this one was blue and her mother’s was light pink that alwas reminded her of the cherry blossoms. She quickly dressed herself and went outside where Yi-jong was standing next to a car. Both got inside and the driver started the car. 

“Your name wil stay the same, it would be too risky changing it in case you forgot about it and slipped up. You were born in Gaegyeong and moved to Hanyang almost a year ago with your parents...wait...do you have parents?"

“No."

“Great, so, you’re mother told you about the job and you decided to take it becouse you want to support your family. Now comes the important part. I heard that the situation in Korea is getting a bit out of hand. The monarch is killing everyone who is trying to take him down. A lot of people are criticizing his way of ruling. It looks like there will be quite a lot of demonstrations soon. I need you to find information about when and where will the monarch try to stop the people so they can be prepared. The best way you can do this is to get close with his daughter, if you can do that, it will be easy for you to obtain all the information. Who knows, maybe the princess will tell you herself. " 

The man chuckled, before he continued to talk.

“We plan on ’attacking’ the place where the princess will be staying in about a week. I need you to ’save’ her once we get inside. I will send you a message through one of my men everyday, so you will know how the situation is progressing. He will be one of the guards. Look for a tall guy with a scar on his neck, that will be him. Try to be as discreet as possible, we don’t want anyone to find out what we’re planing. If it all goes right, she will trust you and we will be a step closer to where we want to be."

They continued discussing the plan and all the stuff Serim should do in order to get closer to the princess. 

When they were done talking, the sun was already on the horizon, highlighting the nature. Serim was tired and the sound of the small birds chirping in the trees celebrating the morning lulled her to sleep almost instantly. The outline of a big city slowly appearing in the distance, looking almost intimidating, but that was the last thing on Serim’s mind as she drifted off to a uncomfortable sleep, hunched over in the car seat, her mind occupied with one big question.

What the hell did she just got into?


	7. 여섯

Serim woke up with a smell of a cooked fish. Her eyes fluttered open, trying to find the source of the amazing smell, head turning with her nose up as some kind of animal. Her eyes settled on the man sitting beside her, two golden brown fish in his hands, one of which was stretched to her, handing her the freshly grilled meat. Serim felt her mouth watering and her stomach hurried her to grab the food with a loud grumble that almost made her embarrassed. 

“Take it, I knew you were going to be hungry so we stopped to get some food, luckily a stand with Godeungeo gui was just next to the entrance of the city.”

Serim was listening with only one ear as she was already scarfing down the fish in her hands as fast as possible. The tender meat almost melted in her mouth, the young girl groaning at the amazing taste. Just after a minute the whole fish was gone, the only thing proving it even existed was the slight grease on Serim’s fingers, which se quickly disposed of, licking every one of them savoring the salty taste. 

The sound of someone yelling made her look out of the window, just now noticing that they were already in the city. Small kids were running around the car, squealing and laughing together. One of the smaller kids fell down and began to sniffle, as presumably his mother, ran to him and picked him up, cleaning his face with her sleeve. Serim smiled at that, waving to the small kid when he looked at her. 

“The monarch’s palace, Gyeongbokgung, is not that far from here, probably around fifteen minutes for us to get there so prepare yourself.”

Serim nodded, before turning back to look from the window. She never visited any big city like this before, the only things she knew about them was through her father’s stories when he came back from one of his travels.

The outskirts were slowly beginning to change, the building were getting slightly taller, more people walked around the streets and some of them were walking around in expensive looking hanboks and other robes. The sound of various people chattering made Serim relax a bit, as it reminded her of her home. Shiyeon with the Eunbi and Hyun-jin appeared in her mind. She was determined to make their lives better and protect them no matter what.

———

“Woah...”

Serim uttered as she looked around, the car was stopped in-front of the gates of the palace. The massive walls almost seemed intimidating, making her shiver and look away from them.

Yi-jong was talking to the guards, showing them something in his hand. The guard nodded at the others and with a slight bow let the car through. 

“Come on, let’s get out of the car and go inside. I will lead you to the other maids, the head maid they will see if you’re capable of the job so try your best not to disappoint them, there are high stakes on this, alright?”

Serim nodded, following Yi-jong outside, walking slightly behind him as they made their way inside the huge palace, turning a few times, before stopping outside a small side house that was connected to the palace. There was a small garden in-front of it, the side doors left open, revealing a bunch of maids in blue maid hanboks eating lunch while talking with each other. 

“Young-ja gungnyeo, I have the new Musuri here, the one for hard labor.”

A woman that looked older than the rest turned around, looking me up and down making me feel a bit embarrassed.

“This, pipsqueak? She’s just skin and bones, I doubt she would lift a stone smaller that my fist.”

“Oh, come on, you know better than to judge a book by it’s cover, test her out, I’m quite sure you’ll be satisfied.”

The older woman only scoffed, before standing up and making her way over to us, as the other girls were looking at us, their gazes making me feel uncomfortable.

“What’s your name?”

“Jo Serim, ajumma.”

“Come with me.”

She waved her hand at Serim, signaling her to follow. They went inside, the other girls still sitting around the table eating their lunch while sometimes looking at the newcomer before whispering something to the girl beside them. Young-ja led her around them, sliding open the paper door that led to a smaller garden with wide doors on the left side, a pile of bags in-front of them.

“The guys that delivered them had to leave early and couldn’t carry them inside, take them and place them inside there.”

She said pointing at the opened door at the other side of the garden.

“After you’re done, come eat.”

With that the woman left, leaving Serim alone. She could here quiet laughs from behind her. The door remained open and the other girl were pointing at her while snickering to themselves. Serim resisted the urge to roll her eyes and walked towards the pile of bags, picking one up with ease. These bags of rice were much smaller than the ones she had to carry on the farm so it wasn’t a problem for her. She quickly made her way inside the door Young-ja pointed to, her placing the bag on the floor, returning outside. 

The laughing she heard before was gone as the girls stared at her, some scowling, some with mouths wide open. Serim couldn’t help but smirk to herself as she continued working. After around twenty minutes she was already done, smiling to herself she returned to the open doors. 

“Good job, here,”

Young-ha handed her the same hanbok everyone was wearing before pointing to a closed door a few meters away from them.

“get changed and come back to eat, we have rice, guk and kimchi jjigae.”

Serim bowed to her, leaving to change her clothes. She placed her old ones neatly on the floor where the woman instructed her after asking. She straightened her posture, returning to the other girls. Sitting on the very end before happily eating her food, not forgetting to say thank you. 

She could get used to this


	8. 일곱

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry for such a delay, school has been a bit tough and I didn't have time to update....well anything in my life...

The first few days were quite boring. Serim had nothing to do as she was always done with her work early and she couldn't talk with the other girls since as soon as she tried talking to them all of them looked her up and down and left snickering. She didn't really mind being the outcast as she was used to always being one, but it bothered her that they all judged her without even talking to her first. 

The only thing that kept her somehow exited inside the palace were the daily messages she received from the guard. Just like Yi-Jong promised, everyday around lunch time, a guard was placed on duty close to the section Serim was working at and everytime gave her a message from Yi-Jong about the plans and how was the situation evolving. Each day she grew more nervous but somewhat exited about the 'attack'. 

"Ya! Serim-ah, come here, you have work!"

Serim sighed and stood up, quickly stuffing the half eaten bun inside her pocket, her fingers tracing the crumpled paper she received just a few minutes ago from the insider. She walked to the other girls who were alrady waiting on Young-ja who always gave them tasks to do until dinner after they finished lunch. Someone tapped her shoulder, pointing on her skirt part of the hanbok she was currently wearing. Serim looked at where she was pointing, quickly brushing away the dirt that was all over her, smoothing out the wrinkled fabric. She was scolded countles times by the gungnyeo about how little she did about her appearance when she was inside the royal palace. 

"Ah yes, leave it for Jo Serim to waltz in here looking like she came crawling out of a sewer."

"Shut up Minseo."

Serim growled at the snickering girl, who only scoffed before giggling at her with her friends. Minseo has been bothering her since her arrivial to the palace. She, and her friends, thought they were better than her becouse they came from a richer family, which angered Serim to no end. 

Just as she was about to say something back, Young-ja appeared around the corner, carrying the familiar rolled up piece of smooth scroll with this days tasks to be completed. Serim was sure the scroll alone costed more than her food expenses for a week, if not month.

"Alright girls, listen up. As all of you know, tommorow will pe the highly awaited arrival of thegongju mama (the princess) Han Eunji, and we have to prepare for such a special occasion, so no slacking. With that she sent all of the girls at their workplace, everyone exited for the princesses arrival.

\---

Serim was nervous. Today was the day. The daughter of the monarch was going to arrive here in less than thirty minutes, which meant that the ‘attack’ was only about a hour away. Serim already received the instructions from the insider, all of them written on a old piece of paper that was currently tucked away deep inside her pocket. 

The princess was going to arrive in a red car, two guards and one driver with her. Both guards will go inside with her while all the staff is going to bow to them. The driver will return with the car and leave the palace. The guards will escort her to her room, one remaining outside her room to make sure she’s alright while the other will go outside. About a hour after that, the guard will be changed with another one. That’s when the attack will be happening, one of the attackers making his way to the princesses room. The second guard won’t have time to get to the princess, giving Serim the room to ‘save’ her from the guy already in her room. If someone asked her why was she inside the princesses room, she’s supposed to say that she was worried about her well being and decided to check on the princess. Luckily she was able to get there before the attacker did anything to her. 

Serim was currently sitting at lunch with other maids, a few of them giving her a side eye glare. She wasn’t really popular with the others, as the head maid kept giving her as a example what everyone was supposed to be doing, resulting in some of the girls to resent her. 

“Hey! The princess is here!”

The room erupted in chaos as everyone tried to get out of the room as quickly as possible. 

“Calm down girls! Get in pairs and quietly walk outside.”

Everyone followed the instructions, Serim was walking with one of the girls that she made friends with. Her name was Wang Yiren and she was a year younger than her. They both bonded over not being popular with the other girls as she was from China and didn’t speak korean as well. 

“What you think the princess look like?”

Yiren asked her with her broken korean, making Serim chuckle.

“It’s ‘What do you think the princess in going to look like’ and I don’t really care.”

That wasn’t true at all. Serim always heard stories about how breathtaking and beautiful the princess was and wanted to take a look at her herself. 

“Plus, we probably wont even see her, don’t you remember we have to keep bowing in-front of her so the only thing we will se out of her will be her shoes.”

Yiren laughed and was about to reply, but the head maid shushed them and ushered them to position. All of them were lined up with the other staff for the gates to open. 

Once they did, and a red car made its way through them, everyone simultaneously bowed. As Serim said, the only thing they saw was black tires and three pairs of feet, one clearly belonged to a woman as the end of a hanbok could be seen around her ankles. Serim could tell it was expensive just from the part she was seeing, beautiful gold embroidery on the hem of the skirt sparkling in the sun like some kind of a treasure. The princesses steps were light and elegant, almost making it look like she was floating. Serim couldn’t help but to feel a bit jealous, she could never move so gracefully, her steps were heavy, like she was alway carring something just beside the burden that was constantly on her shoulders, weighing her down every day.

The moment the princess and both her guards disappeared inside the palace, everyone began to gush about her. Serim left everyone talking and quietly made her way to the place she was instructed to go to by Yi-Jong, her steps hesitant as if they knew what was about to happen, and tried to stop it.

"BOOOOOM!"

Serim almost yelled at the loud noise she heard from outside. Yi-Jong didn’t really said what he was going to do but she certainly didn’t expect this. 

The loud boom was shortly followed by the sound of yelling and Serim didn’t waste any precious time this was giving her and ran to the princesses room, sliding the door quickly open ready to shout at her to follow her. However, her voice got caught in her throat and she couldn’t get a single sound out of it, her eyes widening.

They didn’t tell her the princess was this beautiful.


End file.
